Loss of functional diversity under land use intensification across multiple taxa.

Land use intensification can greatly reduce species richness and ecosystem functioning. However, species richness determines ecosystem functioning through the diversity and values of traits of species present. Here, we analyze changes in species richness and functional diversity (FD) at varying agricultural land use intensity levels. We test hypotheses of FD responses to land use intensification in plant, bird, and mammal communities using trait data compiled for 1600+ species. To isolate changes in FD from changes in species richness we compare the FD of communities to the null expectations of FD values. In over one-quarter of the bird and mammal communities impacted by agriculture, declines in FD were steeper than predicted by species number. In plant communities, changes in FD were indistinguishable from changes in species richness. Land use intensification can reduce the functional diversity of animal communities beyond changes in species richness alone, potentially imperiling provisioning of ecosystem services.

[1]  K. Linsenmair,et al.  Diversity erosion beyond the species level : Dramatic loss of functional diversity after selective logging in two tropical amphibian communities , 2006 .

[2]  Mark W. Schwartz,et al.  Rare Species and Ecosystem Functioning , 2005 .

[3]  A. Estrada,et al.  Non flying mammals and landscape changes in the tropical rain forest region of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico , 1994 .

[4]  Zoltán Botta-Dukát,et al.  Rao's quadratic entropy as a measure of functional diversity based on multiple traits , 2005 .

[5]  B. Schmid,et al.  Root hemiparasites and plant diversity in experimental grassland communities , 2000 .

[6]  V. Radeloff,et al.  Wildlife Survival Beyond Park Boundaries: the Impact of Slash‐and‐Burn Agriculture and Hunting on Mammals in Tambopata, Peru , 2003 .

[7]  P. Reich,et al.  The Influence of Functional Diversity and Composition on Ecosystem Processes , 1997 .

[8]  Jenny L. McCune,et al.  The influence of arbuscular mycorrhizae on the relationship between plant diversity and productivity , 2000 .

[9]  G. Daily,et al.  Countryside Biogeography of Neotropical Mammals: Conservation Opportunities in Agricultural Landscapes of Costa Rica , 2003 .

[10]  F. Berendse,et al.  Diversity reduces invasibility in experimental plant communities the role of plant species , 2003 .

[11]  G. Merriam,et al.  Distribution of Woodland Species in Farmland Woods , 1983 .

[12]  Kevin J. Gaston,et al.  Functional diversity (FD), species richness and community composition , 2002 .

[13]  A. Estrada,et al.  Anthropogenic landscape changes and avian diversity at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico , 2004, Biodiversity & Conservation.

[14]  D. Wardle,et al.  Effects of agricultural intensification on soil-associated arthropod population dynamics, community structure, diversity and temporal variability over a seven-year period , 1999 .

[15]  J. Olden,et al.  Trait synergisms and the rarity, extirpation, and extinction risk of desert fishes. , 2008, Ecology.

[16]  G. De’ath,et al.  CLASSIFICATION AND REGRESSION TREES: A POWERFUL YET SIMPLE TECHNIQUE FOR ECOLOGICAL DATA ANALYSIS , 2000 .

[17]  Russell Greenberg,et al.  Biodiversity Loss in Latin American Coffee Landscapes: Review of the Evidence on Ants, Birds, and Trees , 2008, Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology.

[18]  Owen L. Petchey,et al.  Low functional diversity and no redundancy in British avian assemblages. , 2007, The Journal of animal ecology.

[19]  M. Willig,et al.  Relationships Among Indices Suggest that Richness Is an Incomplete Surrogate for Grassland Biodiversity , 2005 .

[20]  S. Jacobson,et al.  Avian Diversity and Functional Insectivory on North‐Central Florida Farmlands , 2005 .

[21]  W. Parton,et al.  Agricultural intensification and ecosystem properties. , 1997, Science.

[22]  Bradley J. Cardinale,et al.  Effects of biodiversity on the functioning of trophic groups and ecosystems , 2006, Nature.

[23]  Owen L. Petchey,et al.  Functional diversity: back to basics and looking forward. , 2006, Ecology letters.

[24]  E. Zavaleta,et al.  Realistic Species Losses Disproportionately Reduce Grassland Resistance to Biological Invaders , 2004, Science.

[25]  R. Green,et al.  Agricultural intensification and the collapse of Europe's farmland bird populations , 2001, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences.

[26]  D. Bailey,et al.  Functional richness of local hoverfly communities (Diptera, Syrphidae) in response to land use across temperate Europe , 2006, Oikos.

[27]  D. S. Sullivan,et al.  Plant and small mammal diversity in orchard versus non-crop habitats , 2006 .

[28]  S. Díaz,et al.  Vive la différence: plant functional diversity matters to ecosystem processes , 2001 .

[29]  B. Jobin,et al.  Habitats fauniques du milieu rural quebecois : une analyse floristique , 1996 .

[30]  A. Merenlender,et al.  Use of Riparian Corridors and Vineyards by Mammalian Predators in Northern California , 2004 .

[31]  N. Sotherton.  Land use changes and the decline of farmland wildlife: An appraisal of the set-aside approach , 1998 .

[32]  Tim G. Benton,et al.  Linking agricultural practice to insect and bird populations: a historical study over three decades , 2002 .

[33]  A. Kinzig,et al.  Original Articles: Plant Attribute Diversity, Resilience, and Ecosystem Function: The Nature and Significance of Dominant and Minor Species , 1999, Ecosystems.

[34]  G. Daily,et al.  COUNTRYSIDE BIOGEOGRAPHY: USE OF HUMAN-DOMINATED HABITATS BY THE AVIFAUNA OF SOUTHERN COSTA RICA , 2001 .

[35]  K. Freemark,et al.  A Review and Synthesis of Habitat Use by Breeding Birds in Agricultural Landscapes of Iowa , 1995 .

[36]  Clarence Lehman,et al.  Conventional functional classification schemes underestimate the relationship with ecosystem functioning. , 2006, Ecology letters.

[37]  Neal M. Williams,et al.  Crop pollination from native bees at risk from agricultural intensification , 2002, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[38]  M. A. Quinn.  INFLUENCE OF HABITAT FRAGMENTATION AND CROP SYSTEM ON COLUMBIA BASIN SHRUBSTEPPE COMMUNITIES , 2004 .

[39]  Owen L. Petchey,et al.  HOW DO DIFFERENT MEASURES OF FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY PERFORM , 2004 .

[40]  F. Woodward,et al.  Ecosystem effects of the manipulation of plant diversity in European grasslands : data from the BIODEPTH project.Ecological Archives M075-001-S1 , 2005 .

[41]  C. Violle,et al.  Let the concept of trait be functional , 2007 .

[42]  M. Scherer‐Lorenzen.  Functional diversity affects decomposition processes in experimental grasslands , 2008 .

[43]  M. Brewer,et al.  Small mammal populations occurring in a diversified winter wheat cropping system , 2003 .

[44]  Carsten Thies,et al.  REVIEWS AND SYNTHESES Landscape perspectives on agricultural intensification and biodiversity - ecosystem service management , 2005 .

[45]  F. Chapin,et al.  EFFECTS OF BIODIVERSITY ON ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONING: A CONSENSUS OF CURRENT KNOWLEDGE , 2005 .

[46]  Robert K. Colwell,et al.  Species Loss and Aboveground Carbon Storage in a Tropical Forest , 2005, Science.

[47]  S. Roxburgh,et al.  Functional identity is more important than diversity in influencing ecosystem processes in a temperate native grassland , 2008 .

[48]  A. Estrada,et al.  Diversity of Neotropical migratory landbird species assemblages in forest fragments and man-made vegetation in Los Tuxtlas, Mexico , 2005, Biodiversity & Conservation.

[49]  F. Woodward,et al.  ECOSYSTEM EFFECTS OF BIODIVERSITY MANIPULATIONS IN EUROPEAN GRASSLANDS , 2005 .

[50]  M. Vanni,et al.  Fish extinctions alter nutrient recycling in tropical freshwaters , 2007, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[51]  Dénes Schmera,et al.  On dendrogram-based measures of functional diversity , 2006 .

[52]  N. Williams,et al.  Extinction order and altered community structure rapidly disrupt ecosystem functioning. , 2005, Ecology letters.

[53]  G. Daily,et al.  The diversity and conservation of plant reproductive and dispersal functional traits in human‐dominated tropical landscapes , 2006 .

[54]  A. Horváth,et al.  Rodent Diversity and Land Use in Montebello, Chiapas, Mexico , 2001 .